


This Christmas

by fandomsandxfiles



Series: Files From the FBI's Most Unwanted [12]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28205022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandxfiles/pseuds/fandomsandxfiles
Summary: After bowing out of Christmas with her family, Scully realizes there's only one person she wants to spend the holidays with.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Series: Files From the FBI's Most Unwanted [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020487
Kudos: 46





	This Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was part of @thexfilesnet's christmas secret santa exchange on tumblr. You can also find me on tumblr @fandomsandxfiles.

"Are you flying out to Bill's this year?" Mulder asked her as they walked out of the basement office together that evening. 

"Yeah, he came to D.C. last year, so my mom and I are going to San Diego this year." Scully wasn't too excited about it though. When Mulder told her that he wasn't going anywhere for Christmas, her first thought was jealously. She loved her family, but they could be really overbearing at times, and Christmas was one of them. 

She enjoyed seeing her mom and her brother's family, but she didn't enjoy the biting comments Bill sometimes made about her job, and it only had gotten worse after last year. She didn't even tell them about the haunted house or the ghosts (which she still didn't believe in), only that she had a "work emergency" and that she had to be there later. Her mom didn't mind that she missed Christmas morning, but Bill kept making snide comments throughout the day. She eventually told him off and he behaved, but Scully knew that Bill still held some resentment towards her job (and her partner) and she wasn't really looking to relive those moments. 

She had taken off the week after Christmas so she could fly out to San Diego, but by the time she had everything packed up and ready for her flight the next day, she really didn't want to go. So Dana Scully did something her father definitely wouldn't be too proud of: she decided to feign sickness and stay home for the holidays, and she had some calls to make. 

First she called Bill, saying that she was coming down with something and she didn't feel up to the plane ride tomorrow, and that she didn't want to get him or his family sick on the holidays. He understood, and still offered for Scully to just arrive a day or so later if she wanted, but she was able to get out of that by saying that there probably weren't any more plane tickets available until after the new year. 

The next call on her list was to her mother, who didn't accept the news as easily as her brother did. "Dana honey, are you sure you want to stay home this year? I don't want you to be lonely on Christmas." 

"It's fine mom," she said. "I'd rather be sick at home than sick in somebody else's house." 

"Alright honey," she finally said, and Scully finally thought it was over. "Is Fox doing anything for Christmas? Maybe he could take care of you."

"Mom-" 

"If you don't feel good, you need to ask for help Dana. I just want to make sure someone is there for you."

"Mom, I'll be fine."

Her mother finally let the topic of conversation go and hung up the phone, but some of her words were still stuck in Scully's mind. _I just want to make sure someone is there for you._ She didn't really want to spent Christmas at Bill's, but she didn't want to spend it completely alone. Before she could stop herself, she had dialed Mulder's number. 

"Mulder," he picked up before she could second guess her choices. 

"It's me," she said, because she didn't know what else she could say. 

"Hey Scully, what do you need?"

"Do you want to come over on Christmas Eve?" she said out of nowhere, before she could think it through.

"Aren't you flying out to San Diego tomorrow?" 

"I'm not going," she said. "I said I was sick." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly. He knew what it was like to not really want to see family, especially around the holidays. 

"Not really, but I don't want to be alone for Christmas." She regretted the way she said it the moment the words left her mouth. "And you said you weren't going anywhere, so-"

"Scully, you don't have to hang out with me just because I'm going to be alone on Christmas," he said. 

"It's not for you Mulder, i really don't want to see them. Bill came here for Christmas last year and he was insufferable. I already told my mom I'm not flying out. And besides, you're not going anywhere either, we might as well drink together rather than by ourselves." 

Mulder laughed quietly. "Alright," he said. "Your place or mine?" 

***

Two days later, Mulder was knocking on the door to Scully's apartment holding a wrapped present in one hand and a box of cookies in the other, with his overnight bag on his shoulder. He had already picked out a gift for her before he knew they would be spending Christmas together, despite the fact that both of them agreed that they weren't going to get each other anything. But he had seen a beautiful green sweater on display when he had gone shopping for his mom earlier in the year, and he immediately thought of Scully. And after finding a delicate necklace with a pendant that looked like the moon, he had made his decision and bought them both. He didn't expect anything from her (because they originally agreed not to exchange gifts) but he still wanted to give her something. 

When Scully opened the door, she smiled at him and let him in. Her apartment smelled like pine, and there were little Christmas decorations all over. It was a lot more inviting than Mulder's place at the moment, which was pretty void of anything festive. Mulder smiled at the small Christmas tree that was sitting atop one of the end tables. "What, you couldn't spring for the big tree?" 

Scully rolled her eyes. "I'm one person Mulder, I don't think I have enough ornaments to fill a tree any bigger than that one. Besides, no one ever spends Christmas here, it's either at Bill's or my mom's." Mulder put his hands up in concession, but Scully kept talking. "And where would I put it?" 

"I don't know, maybe over in the corner? It would look nice I think." 

"And are you going to carry the big tree all the way up here next year if I get it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him. 

"Maybe you should just stick with the 3 foot tree then," he said as he shook his head, and Scully laughed brightly. 

She settled on the couch next to him and handed him a bottle of beer. "Thank you for being here Mulder," she said sincerely, as she opened her own bottle. 

"Of course," he said. "It's not like I had anything else to do today or tomorrow anyway." She could detect a hint of hurt in his voice, but decided not to push the topic any further. 

They spent the rest of the evening on the couch, watching reruns of old Christmas movies and just talking. Scully told him about how Melissa used to "stake out" every Christmas by pretending to fall asleep on the couch so she could catch Santa in the act, but that her father would just pick her up and move her to bed before they started laying the gifts out. Mulder didn't really share any of his childhood, but he listened attentively to Scully, and told a few stories about how he's spent Christmas in the past few years (including a particularly chaotic holiday at the Gunmen's three years ago, where the fire department had to come because Frohike and Langly started arguing and they stopped paying attention to the food they were supposed to be cooking). Soon, whatever was playing on the TV was long forgotten. 

"Hey, Scully," he said, as the credits to _A Christmas Story_ rolled. "I know we said we weren't going to get each other anything, but I have a gift for you." 

"I have something for you too," she said, and soon they were presenting each other with brightly wrapped boxes. "You open first." 

He tore open the santa-patterned wrapping paper and opened up the box to reveal a dark blue blanket. It was probably the softest thing he's ever felt. "Thank you," he said, looking up at her. 

"I figured if you're going to sleep on that terrible couch, you might as well have something nice and soft to cover you." 

"My couch isn't that bad!" he said playfully, and Scully raised her eyebrows at him in response. "Okay, maybe it is a little uncomfortable. Now open your gift." 

"Way to change the subject Mulder," she said as she tore open the paper and gently opened the box to reveal the sweater and necklace. "Oh Mulder, these are lovely. Thank you." 

He smiled at her. "You're welcome Scully."

***

The next morning, Mulder woke up to the sun just barely coming in through the window. He was staying in Scully's guest room, and it took him a few moments to register where he was. He just laid in bed for a few minutes, and then decided that he would make her breakfast, as a thank you for letting him sleep over. As much as he wouldn't want to admit it, he was always lonely at this time of year. The ghosts had hit the nail on the head with that much last year, and it hadn't changed in the time since then. But this year was the first year in a while where he didn't feel the biting chill of loneliness on Christmas Eve. He didn't want to press Scully on why she skipped out on flying to San Diego this year, but he was grateful that she stayed. 

He found pancake mix in her cupboard and some bacon in her fridge and set to work. He had barely started to cook when she came wandering into the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas. Mulder hadn't bothered to change either. He decided that he liked the way things were right now, the two of them together, no pressure to get dressed up for the other. "What are you making?" she asked sleepily, stifling a yawn. 

"Pancakes and bacon," he said, right as the phone started to ring. Scully sighed and made her way over to it. 

"Hello?" she answered, and Mulder couldn't hear who was on the other end. He didn't need to though, because Scully told him. "Hi mom." 

"Merry Christmas to you too," Scully said, yawning again. Her mother said something else that Mulder couldn't catch.

"I'm feeling better, staying home was the right choice." 

"Yeah, hopefully next year I'll be able to see everyone."

Mulder had gone back to cooking, but he accidentally dropped the spatula. He cursed to himself, and Scully's head snapped in his direction. "You okay?" she mouthed, and he nodded. "No mom, I'm fine. Mulder just dropped something." 

Maggie Scully must not have been expecting to hear that Mulder was there, because she started speaking so loudly that Scully had to hold the phone away from her ear. "Mom, relax," Scully said, regretting the fact that she let it slip she's not spending Christmas alone. 

"You're the one who told me to ask him if I needed help, mom." 

"Mom!" Scully's cheeks started to flush, and Mulder wondered what Maggie could have said to her daughter. He went back to cooking as he waited for Scully to get off the phone.

"Alright mom, I have to go." 

"Tell Bill and Tara I said hello." 

"He's fine mom." 

"Yes, I'll tell him."

When she finally hung up the phone with a last "Merry Christmas," Mulder was done with the pancakes and bacon. "My mom said to wish you a Merry Christmas from her." 

Mulder smiled. "Was she not happy with you when you decided to skip out on Bill's this year?" 

Scully shook her head. "I don't think so, but I'll make sure to have her over for dinner when she gets back so I can give her the gift I got for her."

"That's a good idea," he said, setting down a plate for her at the table, and starting to make one for himself. She thanked him and settled down to eat.

"Merry Christmas Mulder," she said as he sat down across from her. 

"Merry Christmas Scully," he said, and he knew this Christmas was shaping up to be the best he'd had in a long time. 

_\- the end -_

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!!


End file.
